Northrop Grumman announced Wednesday that flight testing has commenced with new computing hardware and communications gear that will bolster the B-2 stealth bomber’s connectivity. A B-2 test aircraft stationed at Edwards AFB, Calif., has been flying with this equipment since Sept. 1, according to the company. This gear, which includes a new integrated processing unit, disk drive, and fiberoptic cables, is the first increment of the B-2’s extremely high frequency satellite communications upgrade. Northrop announced in March that it had begun installing this equipment on the aircraft. The EHF upgrade comprises three increments of varying complexity. When the upgrade is complete, the B-2 will be able to send and receive battlefield information by satellite more than 100 times faster than it can today, stated the company.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.